Butterfly Kises
by robinsongirl
Summary: Arthur reflects on being a dad


**Butterfly Kisses**

By Robinsongirl

_**There's two things I know for sure:  
She was sent here from heaven and she's  
daddy's little girl.**_

I remember the day that Ginny was born as if it were yesterday. Molly and I had been praying for a girl for years, not that we don't love all our boy's, but a girl was a nice change. Everyone was excited when we found out Molly was pregnat again, and I was estatic when I heard that it was a girl. Raising Ginny wasn't always easy, but no child ever is. I know that as a father you're not supposed to have a favorite, but the bond I share with Ginny is stronger than my bonds with any of my boys.

_**As I drop to my knees by her bed at night  
She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes and  
I thank god for all the joy in my life  
Oh, but most of all  
For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer;  
sticking little white flowers all up in her  
hair;**_

I would go into her room every night to tuck her in and read a story to her, just as I did with my boys, but before I turnned out the lights, she would always ask me to pray with her. When we were done she would always have me bend down so that she could give me a kiss.

_**"Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it's my first ride."  
"I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried."  
In all that I've done wrong I know I must  
have done something right to deserve a hug  
every morning and butterfly kisses at night.**_

I remember the year when she tried to make me a cake for fathers day. It was her last year at home before Hogwarts and she was more prone to be girly when her brothers weren't around. Molly gave her a recepie and the ingredients and let Ginny do it all by herself. Molly and I weren't allowed to help at all. She worked so hard on that cake, and it was hard not to laugh when she first brought it out. The cake was lopsided and it looked like Ginny had a fight with the icing, and the icing won. She smiled sadly as she brought the cake out, "Sorry Daddy, I tried realy hard, but I couldn't get it to look like Mum's…" I smiled and hugged her. "It's perfect Ginny, just like you!"

_**Sweet 16 today  
She's looking like her mama a little more everyday  
One part woman, the other part girl.  
To perfume and make-up from ribbons and curls  
Trying her wings out in a great big world.**_

The year she turned sixteen was a hard one, for her and for all of the wizarding world. The year before Ginny wrote home telling us that she and Harry Potter were dating, we were happy for her, but Molly and I never expected it to last. After Dumbledores death and their break-up, I relized just how much Harry ment to Ginny. The way she acted around him reminded me of her mother. How that even though she was hurt, she wasn't going to let it show infront of him, but at the same time she wasn't going to give up on him. My ponytail wearing, quidditch playing, running after her brothers, little girl had grown up into a strong willed young women in the blink of an eye.

_**But I remember  
Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer; sticking  
little white flowers all up in her hair.  
"You know how much I love you, Daddy, But if you  
don't mind I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time."  
With all that I've done wrong I must have done  
**__**something right to deserve her love every morning  
and butterfly kisses at night.**_

We didn't spend much time together durring or after the war, even though we both wanted to. Things were just so crazy… so many lives were lost. Alaster, Tonks, Lupin,… Fred. Lossing Fred was hard. We stopped having family dinners for a while because it was all to strange not having Fred there. Molly was often looking after Teddy when his grandmother couldn't, and that made Molly and I remember when our children had been children. The family dinners started back up, with more people attending as family than ever before. Our children, their spouses/boyfriend/girlfriends, and their children all came over to the burrow for dinner every Sunday night.

_**All the precious time  
Like the wind, the years go by.  
Precious butterfly.  
Spread your wings and fly.**_

It was on one of thosse crowded family dinners that Ginny managed to grab everyone's attention long enogh to announce that she and Harry were engaged. It was no surprise to me, Harry had come to me almost a month before and asked for her hand. I told him that nothing would ever make me, or her for that matter, happier. The family was estatic, Molly most of all. They were all so happy for her and Harry, and I was too, but I felt that Ginny and I were growing even farther apart.

_**She'll change her name today.  
She'll make a promise and I'll give her away.  
Standing in the bride-room just staring at her.  
She asked me what I'm thinking and I said "I'm not  
sure-I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl."  
She leaned over...gave me butterfly kisses with her mama there,  
Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair  
"Walk my down the aisle, Daddy-it's just about time."  
"Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy? Daddy, don't cry!"**_

It was a warm june day when I gave Ginny away. She was beautiful, almost as pretty as her mother had looked so many years ago. "I'm nervous Daddy…" she told me as Molly put small white flowers from the garden in her hair. "don't be sweets." I told her. She just smiled at me a mixture of nerveousness and excitement. "Ginny, it's time!" Hermionie said from the bride rooms door way. "ready dear?" Molly asked. Ginny nodded and Bill walked Molly to her seat. A six year old Teddy walked with a four year old Victoria down the aisle, followed by Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville. There were empty seats where pictuers of our fallen friends and family would have sat, and before I knew it, it was Ginny's turn. "Ready?" I asked, my eyes watering. "Daddy! Don't cry!" We made it down the aisle, were I gave her away to Harry. The next time I got a chance to talk to her, she was Ginny Potter.

_**Oh, with all that I've done wrong I must have  
done something right.  
To deserve your love every morning and butterfly  
kisses-I couldn't ask God for more, man this is what love is.**__** I know I gotta let her go, but I'll always remember  
every hug in the morning and butterfly kisses.**_

A family moved twoard the casket. There was a middle aged man with messy black hair, a middle aged women with long red hair, two teenage boys and a teenage girl followed behind them. They said their goodbyes and the women bent over to kiss the lid of the casket. "I love you Daddy…"

_Fin_


End file.
